Full Sail Brewing of Hood River, Oregon started releasing some of its more experimental offerings back in 1998. The Brewmaster Reserve series is Full Sail’s current outlet for such beers, a rotating schedule of beers that seek to appeal or expand palates beyond the usual session styles. A different Brewmaster Reserve beer is released every 8 to 10 weeks. The latest addition to the line up is a Dubbel called Sanctuary.

“Inspired by the great Belgian Trappist and Monastic beers, Full Sail Brewing has put their heart and soul into Sanctuary Dubbel, the newest beer in their Brewmaster Reserve line-up. For centuries, the Trappist monks of Belgium have earned their daily bread by making “liquid bread” or beer. In the early years, the monks brewed lower alcohol or “table beers” primarily for their brethren to drink with their meals. As their brewing tradition grew the abbeys began producing stronger dubbel (double) style ales to serve to their guests and eventually for sale.”

“Full Sail’s Sanctuary is a dubbel modeled after the abbey style beers of Belgium complete with a flavor profile that invites calm and quiet reflection. Contemplate the soothing rich malt aromas as they fill the nose, followed by the flavors of biscuit and roast that are softly rounded on the tongue by a rich sweet malt character. With a light blessing of hops, Sanctuary finishes with a Belgian yeast spice notes and a chewy finish.”

Sanctuary will be available in 22oz bottles beginning in late August through November.

Next up in Full Sail’s Brewmaster Reserve series is a beer called Lupulin Fresh Hop Ale. More details on that brew in a future post.

Lost Abbey is set to ignite the souls of craft beer lovers ablaze once more, this time with the release of a new beer that brings together special barrel aged versions of two of its most popular creations. This unholy union will undoubtedly be much in demand and, dare I say, worshiped upon its release.

Lost Abbey’s Tomme Arthur describes Deliverance, thusly: “What is Deliverance and how does one bottle it? Well, it’s a blend of Bourbon Barrel Aged Serpent’s Stout and Brandy Barrel Aged Angel’s Share. You see in Bourbon Barrel Aged Serpent’s Stout we have captured the essence of one very evil beer (the Devil’s brew if you will). Blacker than the strongest plague and hotter than Hades itself, there’s fire in this beer — a veritable cauldron of Bourbon infused beer. Left to its own devices, this would be one sinister liquid.”

“Yet, we have tempered this odious darkness with heaven sent Saintly created Angel’s Share. And together, these two beers will work in harmony to deliver us on that day.”

“Thankfully, it joins Judgment Day, Inferno and Witch’s Wit in exploring the darker side of life’s struggles and The Lost Abbey role in finding Deliverance for souls — banished or otherwise.”

Lost Abbey label artist Sean Dominguez painted the beautiful and eerie label artwork for Deliverance, seen in the image above. Lost Abbey quotes the painting as being “perhaps one of the darkest and most disturbing things he has painted for us.”

Deliverance will be available in 375ml bottles at Lost Abbey’s brewery in San Marcos on Saturday, August 28th. Bottles are $15 each and there is a 6 bottle per person limit.

Chicago’s Half Acre Beer Co. has quickly become one of the more buzzed about and sought craft beer makers in the U.S. — as much for its session brews, like Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, as for its collaborations with other craft breweries such as Three Floyds of Munster, Indiana (The Invasion Helles Bock and Shewolf IPA) and Short’s Brewing of Bellaire, Michigan (Freedom Of ’78 Guava IPA). It seems barely a week passes without the busy brewery announcing yet another intriguing new beer release. This past week, Half Acre posted details of not one impending new beer, but three — the Bairn Farmhouse, Long Thai Rainbow Rye and Sticky Fat American Dark Ale.

Bairn Farmhouse Belgian-style Ale

“Bairn will be available in both bombers and draft at the brewery, plus some jaunts around town. This beer is an ode to all things Phil. Our friend, coworker and brewing confidant, Phil Wymore, has been busy having a child and gearing up to start his own brewery in St. Louis. This beer is a nod to his beautiful little girl, Lily — probably the most sincere and “nice” label you see come out of Half Acre. So, as Phil departs from Half Acre he’s leaving us and you with this Saison brewed with lemon and chamomile.”

Long Thai Rainbow Rye

“This all draft beer, which will be mostly available at the brewery, but will pop up in some of our favorite beer bars, is a Saison brewed with Long Thai peppercorns and Rye malt.”

Sticky Fat American Dark Ale

“Last and certainly not least, we’re brewing a hop harvest beer. This morning a farmer we work with in northern CA picked organic hops fresh from his field and put them on a plane to us to arrive tomorrow morning. We’re going to take these sticky cones and brew a wet hop beer tomorrow afternoon. This is our first wet hop beer and one we’ve looked forward to. You can expect a hop forward dark ale that pays homage to the lore of Sticky Fat.”

Date, cost and ale specifics have yet to be announced, but all three beers are scheduled to be available within the next 3 weeks. Long Thai Rainbow Rye was scheduled to hit the brewery taps at Half Acre and of some other Chicago area bars this past Friday — August, 13th.

I know more than a few craft beer aficionados that enjoy a good Bloody Mary on a lazy weekend morning. I am one of them. I know more than a few craft beer aficionados that like the beers of Ballast Point. I am one of them. This past week Ballast Point announced the release of its own Bloody Mary Mix made with, among other ingredients, its Calico Amber Ale. An intriguing concept and one that certainly has a cocktail world, craft beer world crossover appeal.

“It has been one year since we entered the spirit world with the release of our Old Grove Gin. In that time, we have suggested a few different concoctions, The Aviation, The Mule, The French 75, all of which are perfectly delicious when concocted by a skilled bartender. But let’s face it, we can’t all be masters in the art of mixology. So, with football season approaching, we have taken the guess work out of everyone’s favorite breakfast cocktail. Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix is an awesome, alcohol free blend of tomato juice, Calico Amber Ale and carefully selected spices”

32oz bottles of Ballast Point Bloody Mary Mix are available at both of the breweries locations for a very reasonable $5.99.

@Natalie — Yeah, beers these days are getting more and more complicated. Deliverance is a blend of two beers that Lost Abbey already produces: a powerful stout that spend time in bourbon barrels and a “strong ale” that spends time in brandy barrels. The result will most likely be an intensely powerful beer, with lots of dark roast flavors and many nuances from bourbon, brandy and oak. Super complex. I doubt this helps any…

Natalie Morgan | Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Ashley — I kind of get it. Sounds really crazy. Is it common for beers to “spend time in oak”? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that. But that might be because I tend to stick to wine or vodka.

Email sent. The Sinners Club has its perks, but Lost Abbey has had some issues with their program over the years, so it’s been hit or miss, but this year seems the best year to date for it. It’s expensive too, but it gives you first shot (and sometimes the only shot re: Angel’s Share Grand Cru) at some of their rarer beers and some other schwag and perks.

William Bennett | Tuesday, August 17, 2010

So technically I can just blend together serpent’s stout and brandy angel’s share … and pretty much make deliverance on my own? Cause I don’t see myself getting my hands on the real thing any time soon.

@Tre16 — Not to be a stickler for words, but during my last edit of the print edition of the mag, I discovered that “schwag” = bad marijuana … the word is “swag”. Haha. Gotta love the English language.

@William — Ooooh that is a really good idea. I would love to have a “Lost Abbey Blending Party” … it would make an excellent competition. Have a couple of bottles of all three beers and see who can produce the closest blend to Deliverance.

Now … if I can only get my hands on the Deliverance. Oooooohhhh Brian…..

@Williams Technically yes, although you’d have to throw in a splash of bourbon, as the stout thread in the Deliverance is bourbon barrel aged. I’m assuming that Deliverance has also been masterfully blended, so getting the mix percentages down on a home blend to match the original would likely cost a few pennies. Would be a fun evening though for sure.